29 May 2014 - UNMISS’ new mandate made protecting civilians the top priority and boosted its military and police strength, the mission’s top official said today in Juba at a ceremony marking International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

“This will also enable UNMISS to protect more civilians far from our bases,” said Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Hilde F. Johnson. “We hope the forces will be deployed quickly and be prepared to act forcefully.”

She added that it was equally vital to safeguard human rights and bring perpetrators of atrocities to book. “Only when there is genuine accountability and justice can true healing and reconciliation occur.”

UNMISS had been established to keep the peace, But this had been shredded to pieces by conflict erupting last December, the SRSG said. UNMISS had no mandate and insufficient resources to step in between the warring parties.

“Instead, we intervened in a different way,” Ms. Johnson said. “We opened our gates to thousands of civilians seeking sanctuary in our bases. With this action, we also contributed to stopping a cycle of violence spinning out of control.”

In the first action of its kind in peacekeeping history, over 90,000 civilians were currently seeking protection in 10 UNMISS bases, she said.

But all South Sudanese sought peace and the right to live their lives in safety and dignity, Ms. Johnson added. “Living in IDP camps is not dignifying. Returning home is – under the right circumstances.”

Turning to peacekeepers themselves, the SRSG said five had been killed in an ambush in April 2013, and two had perished while defending unarmed civilians against a mob of armed youth who overran the county support base in Akobo, Jonglei State, last December.

In his message for the Day, read by Ms. Johnson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that 106 peacekeepers had died carrying out their duties last year, bringing the total number of lives lost in the history of peacekeeping to more than 3,200.

In tackling these and other security challenges, UN peacekeeping was modernizing, Mr. Ban said. “It is deploying new technologies such as unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles, refining its practices to better protect civilians, and boosting the representation of women among its ranks.”

Representing the government at the ceremony, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomoro praised UNMISS’ efforts to protect civilians. “For good reasons or bad reasons … they opened their gates to civilians who felt that their lives were under threat.”

He also acknowledged that peacekeepers as well as South Sudanese had lost their lives during the conflict. “God will not forgive us if we do not bring those who committed such crimes to book.”

The minister stressed that South Sudanese people were not violent, but wanted peace to build their nation. “What you see as violence actually is a traditional activity connected with cattle rustling, child abduction.”

The prevalence of guns in South Sudan had complicated matters, making violence more attractive, he said. “As we move forward, it is the intention of the government to reorganize our army, national security and police, professionalize them and make then national.”

“No individual, no tribe, no community will be allowed to have its own army or any organized force with guns directed by an individual from the community or by the community,” Mr. Lomoro said. “Once this is achieved, we believe then there will be peace.”

Concluding the ceremony, Ms. Johnson awarded UN medals to 30 military and police personnel for their service in the cause of peace.